Excellence Through Innovation
Research at UMass Lowell aims to develop innovative solutions and technologies to tackle the world’s toughest challenges. From focusing on today’s demands for clean, sustainable energy to fueling major medical breakthroughs, the University’s research happens through creative collaborations—in academic departments, through 37 interdisciplinary research groups, by graduate and undergraduate students, and with corporate sponsorship and leading national research institutes. Compiled here is a list of the UMass Lowell Research and Engagement centers and institutes where cutting-edge research is taking place.
Research Centers & Labs
(listed alphabetically)
The Center has been active in the areas of compute-intensive modeling of physical and information systems, and research areas include medical imaging, acoustics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, control, probabilistic modeling, information processing and communication networks.
Advanced Electronics Technology Center
The research mission is the development of reliable manufacturing for giga-scale miniaturization technology performed in conjunction with supporting companies.
Advanced Materials
Its goal is the development of a knowledge base in the design, synthesis, characterization and intelligent processing of advanced materials, driven by the needs of potential technological applications.
Astronomical Observatory
The astronomical observatory, made possible by the generosity of UMass Lowell alumnus David Riccio, comprises a robotic optical telescope with research-grade instrumentation. UMass Lowell students will use the observatory to pursue capstone and graduate projects in close collaboration with faculty, who will use the facility to develop mid-upper level courses in astronomy and astrophysics and lab activities for introductory astronomy courses.
Atmospheric Research
Founded with the goal of conducting experimental and analytical research in the atmospheric and space sciences, to provide research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, and to demonstrate how research and development tie to solving real world problems.
Baseball Research Center
The mission of the center is to be a Center of Excellence for the Science and Engineering of Baseball for both experimental and analytical methods, concentrating on baseball bat performance and durability.
Provides a regional and national resource in biomedical computation, which includes bioinformatics, cheminformatics, computational biology and computational chemistry, for companies in biotechnology, genomics, drug discovery, computer software and hardware development.
Study normal cytoskeleton protein function, mostly neurofilaments, as related to development of the nervous system, and abnormal neuronal function, and factors that trigger this, as related to motor neuron disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Climate Change Initiative
Brings faculty, students, and communities together to address one of the greatest challenges facing humanity: climate change. The Initiative draws its members from all six Colleges and Schools of UMass Lowell and from departments and disciplines as diverse as environmental science, public health, engineering, education, management, sociology, art, and others.
CyberforensicsThe mission of the center is to research and develop cyber forensics theory, techniques and toolkits that will play a critical role in public safety and security response by enterprise campuses, federal and state law enforcement, and national cyber-defense forces including military.
Combustion Laboratory
Conducts fire research including the chemistry and physics of fire, initiation mechanisms, and fire prevention and extinguishment.
Complex Environmental Systems
Multi-disciplinary research, technical assistance, and training organization that focuses on environmental science and technologies.
Computer Machine/Human Intelligence, Networking & Distributed Systems
Helping advance the analytical, experimental, and operational aspect of Computer Engineering and Information Technologies that have potential influence on the Acquisition, Management, and Storage of Knowledge and Data Engineering and Services.
Electric Car and Energy Conversion
The primary focus is application of renewable energy in roof-top residential, industrial, and utility-interactive environments.
Electromagnetic Materials & Optical Systems
Focuses on the interaction of electromagnetic fields with materials and devices of use in microwave and optical systems and applications.
Community Research and Engagement
Focuses on sustainable economic and social development, leadership development, family enrichment, capacity building, and empowerment in areas such as environmental quality, community-based economic development, education and college access and the connections between work and family life.
Health and Disease
CHDR seeks to promote biomedical and health-related research advances to support and enhance the development of a sustainable industrial economic sector.
Health Promotion and Research
CHPR focuses on public health, which is an important component of UMass Lowell's commitment to sustainable development.
Industrial Competitiveness
Conducts research on topics such as globalization, innovation, industrial transformations, workforce and training, and organizations and regions.
Intelligent Biomaterials
CIB mission is to achieve excellence in basic and applied research on the evolved intelligent or smart properties of biological macromolecules and to promote its research advances in order to support and sustain the Massachusetts economic sector.
Kerr Ergonomics Institute
Goal is to develop programs and strategies that promote worker health and improve long-term company productivity, broadly defined.
Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
Helps to build healthy work environments, thriving communities, and viable businesses that support a more sustainable world.
Massachusetts BioManufacturing Center
MBMC is an interdisciplinary research, development and education center that assists biotechnology companies in developing procedures leading to validated, cGMP compliant manufacturing processes.
Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2)
M2D2 is a lifeline for the state’s smaller medical device companies, offering inventors and executives easy, affordable, and coordinated access to world-class researchers and resources at the Lowell and Worcester campuses of the University of Massachusetts.
Middle East Center for Peace, Development and Culture
The Center fosters collaborations and partnerships with educational institutions in the Middle East across an interdisciplinary spectrum including the social sciences, the natural sciences and engineering, the humanities and health and education fields.
Nanomanufacturing Center
Mission is creation of environmentally benign manufacturing processes that enable commercialization of nanotechnology products.
New England Robotics Validation & Experimentation (NERVE) Center
The center provides robotics companies and research institutions with a National Institute of Standards and Technology designed test course for year-round validation of robots and robotic systems.
Network and Information Security
Multiple disciplinary teaching and research center in network security, wireless security, systems security, applied cryptography, privacy, and other areas.
Photonics Center
Mission is to support government research, regional industries and start-ups, train undergraduate and graduate students, and perform industrial and governmental sponsored research.
(Center for) Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace
The Center’s research goal is to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and economic benefits of integrating occupational health and safety with health promotion interventions to improve employee health. There is a strong emphasis on workplace occupational ergonomic interventions and on worker involvement.
Public Opinion Center
The Center for Public Opinion seeks to further UMass Lowell's academic and strategic objectives through cross-disciplinary research related to political and public opinion trends and behaviors, as well as through distinctive, revealing public opinion polling, and provides students, faculty and visiting scholars access to public opinion research. Subjects of study are multi-disciplinary, covering political, social, economic and cultural issues.
Radiation Laboratory
Provides controlled radiation environments and analytical measurement services to government organizations and to industry. The laboratory provides facilities for proton, neutron and gamma environments.
Brings together faculty from several Colleges throughout UMass Lowell (and from other institutions and organizations in the Commonwealth) to work on a variety of collaborative research projects, addressing topics such as cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, transportation security, and the threat of terrorists acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction.
Submillimeter-Wave Technology Laboratory
Goal is to develop and apply technology primarily in the frequency range of 100 GHz to 5 THz.
Sustainable Energy
Develops systems to provide energy for various end uses in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.
Toxics Use Reduction Institute
TURI provides training, services and grant programs to reduce toxic chemical use and advance energy and water efficiency while enhancing the economic competitiveness of local businesses.
Tsongas Industrial History Center
Hands-on center where students learn about the American Industrial Revolution through activities and tours of the sites where history—and science—happened.
(Institute for) Visualization and Perception Research
IVPR is an interdisciplinary group whose research and contract activities focus on the development of tools, systems, displays and interactive techniques that enable individuals and groups to explore collaborative data sets by visual and other perceptual means.
Wind Energy Research Group
WERG unique expertise and capabilities to conduct research in the advancement of wind turbine science and systems. The group consists of thirteen interdisciplinary faculty members whose research focuses on wind turbine manufacturing, reliability, energy storage, and design.
Women & Work
CWW mission is to advance knowledge about the relationship between gender and work through research; enhance understanding of this relationship through education and training; and challenge inequalities, particularly through institutional change.
Engagement Centers & Institutes
African-American Roots Project
A non-profit, collaborative effort between UMass Lowell and the University of South Carolina Department of Biological Sciences to reunite African-Americans with their ancestral roots in Africa.
Arts & Ideas
The Center is a program of the Division of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. We help UMass Lowell maintain positive relationships with the public and community partners, coordinating activities that enrich campus and community life.
Commercial Remote Sensing & Spatial Infomation (CRS-SI)
Sponsored by the USDOT’s RITA and led by a team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the objective of this research is to develop an automated rail infrastructure inspection system for monitoring the health conditions of rail gauge, concrete ties, fastening systems, and ballast.
Human Assessment Laboratory
HAL performs interdisciplinary research integrating fields of biomedical engineering, clinical laboratory science, ergonomics, exercise physiology, nutrition, nursing and physical therapy.
Jack & Stella Kerouac Center for the Public Humanities
The center sponsors a variety of projects and events in the humanities and social sciences. It also serves as the home for the Kerouac Writer-in-Residence program, the Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature, Kerouac Scholarships and the New England Poetry Conference.
NSF ADVANCE Grant
The NSF ADVANCE award will allow researchers at UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School to advance the study of Gender bias in the workplace. The team will focus on creating new metrics and tools for the assessment and quantification of subtle gender biases and other causes of micro-inequities—the accumulation of subtle biases over a long period of time.
The String Project
Provides high-quality stringed-instrument instruction and creative music classes to Lowell Public School students; restores a vital music education component in the Lowell Public Schools; and fosters musical enjoyment and self-expression, encourages student leadership, parental participation, and the sharing of musical accomplishments with the Lowell community.